Maintaining application operations within a suboptimal grid environment

ABSTRACT

An application profile expresses the operational requirements of an application across multiple heterogeneous resource platforms and expresses the priority of modular breakdown of an application so that usage of resources by the application can be adjusted when suboptimal conditions are detected for the application. The application is submitted to at least one resource node from among multiple resource nodes within a grid environment. Then, a management agent monitors a performance status of the at least one resource node. The management agent compares the performance status with an operational requirement specified for the platform of the at least one resource node in the application profile. If the performance status does not meet the operational requirement, then the management agent adjusts the use by the application the resource nodes according to the application profile, such that the application continues to operate when suboptimal conditions arise in a grid environment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to the following applications: U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/757,270, filed Jan.14, 2004, now U.S.Pat. No. 7,464,159.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates in general to grid environments and inparticular to managing application operation in a grid environment.Still more particularly, the present invention relates to maintainingapplication operation within a suboptimal grid environment byreconfiguring the application according to an application profile whichexpresses the operational requirements of an application in a gridenvironment.

2. Description of the Related Art

Ever since the first connection was made between two computer systems,new ways of transferring data, resources, and other information betweentwo computer systems via a connection continue to develop. In a typicalnetwork architecture, when two computer systems are exchanging data viaa connection, one of the computer systems is considered a client sendingrequests and the other is considered a server processing the requestsand returning results. In an effort to increase the speed at whichrequests are handled, server systems continue to expand in size andspeed. Further, in an effort to handle peak periods when multiplerequests are arriving every second, server systems are often joinedtogether as a group and requests are distributed among the groupedservers. Multiple methods of grouping servers have developed such asclustering, multi-system shared data (sysplex) environments, andenterprise systems. With a cluster of servers, one server is typicallydesignated to manage distribution of incoming requests and outgoingresponses. The other servers typically operate in parallel to handle thedistributed requests from clients. Thus, one of multiple servers in acluster may service a client request without the client detecting that acluster of servers is processing the request.

Typically, servers or groups of servers operate on a particular networkplatform, such as Unix or some variation of Unix, and provide a hostingenvironment for running applications. Each network platform may providefunctions ranging from database integration, clustering services, andsecurity to workload management and problem determination. Each networkplatform typically offers different implementations, semantic behaviors,and application programming interfaces (APIs).

Merely grouping servers together to expand processing power, however, isa limited method of improving efficiency of response times in a network.Thus, increasingly, within a company network, rather than just groupingservers, servers and groups of server systems are organized asdistributed resources. There is an increased effort to collaborate,share data, share cycles, and improve other modes of interaction amongservers within a company network and outside the company network.Further, there is an increased effort to outsource nonessential elementsfrom one company network to that of a service provider network.Moreover, there is a movement to coordinate resource sharing betweenresources that are not subject to the same management system, but stilladdress issues of security, policy, payment, and membership. Forexample, resources on an individual's desktop are not typically subjectto the same management system as resources of a company server cluster.Even different administrative groups within a company network mayimplement distinct management systems.

The problems with decentralizing the resources available from serversand other computing systems operating on different network platforms,located in different regions, with different security protocols and eachcontrolled by a different management system, have led to the developmentof Grid technologies using open standards for operating a gridenvironment. Grid environments support the sharing and coordinated useof diverse resources in dynamic, distributed, virtual organizations. Avirtual organization is created within a grid environment when aselection of resources from geographically distributed systems operatedby different organizations with differing policies and managementsystems is organized to handle a job request.

An important attribute of a grid environment that distinguishes a gridenvironment from merely that of another management system is quality ofservice maintained across multiple diverse sets of resources. A gridenvironment preferably does more than just provide resources; a gridenvironment provides resources with a particular level of serviceincluding response time, throughput, availability, security, and theco-allocation of multiple resource types to meet complex user demands.In an effort to provide quality of service, however, the issue in a gridenvironment is how to meet performance requirements when the reality ofnetwork systems is that optimal performance is not always available.

First, a reality of network systems is that applications are typicallywritten to execute on specific platforms with specific operationalrequirements. In particular, the operational requirements ofapplications are often specified from measurements run under optimalconditions on the particular platform. Thus, application behaviordiffers extensively when run on a non-native platform or resources.Therefore, when multiple heterogeneous systems are linked together in agrid environment, there is an issue of how to maintain quality ofservice when applications are executing on non-native platforms. Inparticular, there is currently no means to express each application'soperational requirements for execution in a grid environment where theavailable resources with which to execute a job may change rapidly overan interval of time.

Further a reality of network systems, is that applications are typicallywritten where modules of the application are written to execute onspecific platforms with relatively static resource pools. Thus, when anapplication written for a relatively static resource pool is encounterssuboptimal operating conditions, the entire application shuts down.

Moreover, within a grid environment, applications are just one level ofthe functionality of a grid architecture. In addition to the applicationlevel, multiple levels and types of services are available to beimplemented by an application. The same issues for maintaining qualityof service for applications apply when these service layers run onmultiple heterogeneous platforms within a grid environment.

Therefore, in view of the foregoing, there is a need for a method,system, and program to manage the software layers of functionalitywithin a grid environment and in particular, to change an application orservice behavior to maintain quality of service. Thus, there is a needfor a method, system, and program to express an application or service'soperational requirements for use in a grid environment, such that whensuboptimal performance is detected in the grid environment, theoperational behavior of an application or service can be reconfiguredbased on the operational requirements of the application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, the invention relates in general to gridenvironments and provides a method for managing applications in a gridenvironment. The invention relates to maintaining applicationperformance within a suboptimal grid environment by reconfiguring theapplication according to an application profile which expresses theoperational requirements of an application in a grid environment.

An application is submitted to at least one resource node from amongmultiple resource nodes within a grid environment. Then, a serviceavailability management agent monitors a performance status of the atleast one resource node. The service availability management agentcompares the performance status with an operational requirementspecified for when the application is operating at the at least oneresource node. The operational requirement is specified for the platformon which the at least one resource node is positioned. Further, aprofile for the application designates specifies the operationalrequirements for the application across multiple types of platforms. Ifthe performance status does not meet the operational requirement, thenthe service availability management agent adjusts the use by theapplication of the at least one resource node and other resource nodesof the grid environment, such that the application continues to operatewhen suboptimal conditions arise in a grid environment.

The service availability management agent adjusts both the type andamount of use of resources by the application. The service availabilitymanagement agent locates an alternate resource node that meets theoperational requirements specified for the application for the type ofplatform at which the resource node is positioned and relocate theapplication to the alternate resource node. The service availabilitymanagement agent identifies a first module of the application from theapplication profile and send an instruction for the at least oneresource node to shutdown the first module. Modules are independentprocessing units coordinated through the application. After shuttingdown a module, the service availability management agent determineswhether the application can still function and, if the application canstill function monitors the resource nodes to determine whetheradditional modules need to be shutdown.

An application profile expresses the operational requirements of theapplication across multiple heterogeneous resource platforms andexpresses the priority of modular breakdown of an application so thatusage of resources by an application can be adjusted when suboptimalconditions are detected for the application. The application profile isan XML schema that designates the attributes of the application and theperformance range for the application when operating on differentplatforms and when shutting down modules of the application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are setforth in the appended claims. The invention itself however, as well as apreferred mode of use, further objects and advantages thereof, will bestbe understood by reference to the following detailed description of anillustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts one embodiment of a computer system which may beimplemented in a grid environment and in which the present invention maybe implemented;

FIG. 2 is block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the general typesof components within a grid environment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting one example of an architecture thatmay be implemented in a grid environment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting a system operating within the gridenvironment from the perspective of the grid management system isdepicted in accordance with the method, system, and program of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is an illustrative representation depicting one embodiment of thelogical infrastructure of a grid environment in which the presentinvention may be implemented;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram depicting one embodiment of a SAMA controllerin accordance with the method, system, and program of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating one method of adjusting use ofresources by rerouting an application in accordance with the method,system, and program of the present invention

FIG. 8 depicts a block diagram illustrating another method of adjustinguse of resources by reconfiguring an application's operational behaviorin accordance with the method, system, and program of the presentinvention;

FIGS. 9A-9B depict a high level logic flowchart of a process and programfor adjusting the use of grid resources by an application within a gridenvironment operating at suboptimal conditions; and

FIG. 10 depicts a high level logic flowchart of a process and programfor handling status requests in a grid environment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, there isdepicted one embodiment of a computer system which may be implemented ina grid environment and in which the present invention may beimplemented. As will be further described, the grid environment includesmultiple computer systems managed to provide resources. Additionally, aswill be further described, the present invention may be executed in avariety of computer systems, including a variety of computing systems,mobile systems, and electronic devices operating under a number ofdifferent operating systems managed within a grid environment.

In one embodiment, computer system 100 includes a bus 122 or otherdevice for communicating information within computer system 100, and atleast one processing device such as processor 112, coupled to bus 122for processing information. Bus 122 preferably includes low-latency andhigher latency paths that are connected by bridges and adapters andcontrolled within computer system 100 by multiple bus controllers. Whenimplemented as a server system, computer system 100 typically includesmultiple processors designed to improve network servicing power.

Processor 112 may be a general-purpose processor such as IBM's PowerPC™processor that, during normal operation, processes data under thecontrol of operating system and application software accessible from adynamic storage device such as random access memory (RAM) 114 and astatic storage device such as Read Only Memory (ROM) 116. The operatingsystem may provide a graphical user interface (GUI) to the user. In apreferred embodiment, application software contains machine executableinstructions that when executed on processor 112 carry out theoperations depicted in the flowcharts of FIGS. 9A-9B, 10, and othersdescribed herein. Alternatively, the steps of the present inventionmight be performed by specific hardware components that containhardwired logic for performing the steps, or by any combination ofprogrammed computer components and custom hardware components.

The present invention may be provided as a computer program product,included on a machine-readable medium having stored thereon the machineexecutable instructions used to program computer system 100 to perform aprocess according to the present invention. The term “machine-readablemedium” as used herein includes any medium that participates inproviding instructions to processor 112 or other components of computersystem 100 for execution. Such a medium may take many forms including,but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmissionmedia. Common forms of non-volatile media include, for example, a floppydisk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, magnetic tape or any other magneticmedium, a compact disc ROM (CD-ROM) or any other optical medium, punchcards or any other physical medium with patterns of holes, aprogrammable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically EPROM(EEPROM), a flash memory, any other memory chip or cartridge, or anyother medium from which computer system 100 can read and which issuitable for storing instructions. In the present embodiment, an exampleof a non-volatile medium is mass storage device 118 which as depicted isan internal component of computer system 100, but will be understood toalso be provided by an external device. Volatile media include dynamicmemory such as RAM 114. Transmission media include coaxial cables,copper wire or fiber optics, including the wires that comprise bus 122.Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light waves,such as those generated during radio frequency or infrared datacommunications.

Moreover, the present invention may be downloaded as a computer programproduct, wherein the program instructions may be transferred from aremote virtual resource, such as a virtual resource 160, to requestingcomputer system 100 by way of data signals embodied in a carrier wave orother propagation medium via a network link 134 (e.g. a modem or networkconnection) to a communications interface 132 coupled to bus 122.Virtual resource 160 may include a virtual representation of theresources accessible from a single system or systems, wherein multiplesystems may each be considered discrete sets of resources operating onindependent platforms, but coordinated as a virtual resource by a gridmanager. Communications interface 132 provides a two-way datacommunications coupling to network link 134 that may be connected, forexample, to a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), or anInternet Service Provider (ISP) that provide access to network 102. Inparticular, network link 134 may provide wired and/or wireless networkcommunications to one or more networks, such as network 102, throughwhich use of virtual resources, such as virtual resource 160, isaccessible as provided by a grid management system 150. Grid managementsystem 150 may be part of multiple types of networks, including apeer-to-peer network, or may be part of a single computer system, suchas computer system 100.

As one example, network 102 may refer to the worldwide collection ofnetworks and gateways that use a particular protocol, such asTransmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP), tocommunicate with one another. Network 102 uses electrical,electromagnetic, or optical signals that carry digital data streams. Thesignals through the various networks and the signals on network link 134and through communication interface 132, which carry the digital data toand from computer system 100, are exemplary forms of carrier wavestransporting the information. It will be understood that alternate typesof networks, combinations of networks, and infrastructures of networksmay be implemented.

When implemented as a server system, computer system 100 typicallyincludes multiple communication interfaces accessible via multipleperipheral component interconnect (PCI) bus bridges connected to aninput/output controller. In this manner, computer system 100 allowsconnections to multiple network computers.

Additionally, although not depicted, multiple peripheral components andinternal/external devices may be added to computer system 100, connectedto multiple controllers, adapters, and expansion slots coupled to one ofthe multiple levels of bus 122. For example, a display device, audiodevice, keyboard, or cursor control device may be added as a peripheralcomponent.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardwaredepicted in FIG. 1 may vary. Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in theart will appreciate that the depicted example is not meant to implyarchitectural limitations with respect to the present invention.

With reference now to FIG. 2, a block diagram illustrates one embodimentof the general types of components within a grid environment. In thepresent example, the components of a grid environment 240 include aclient system 200 interfacing with a grid management system 150 whichinterfaces with server clusters 222, servers 224, workstations anddesktops 226, data storage systems 228, and networks 230. For purposesof illustration, the network locations and types of networks connectingthe components within grid environment 240 are not depicted. It will beunderstood, however, that the components within grid environment 240 mayreside atop a network infrastructure architecture that may beimplemented with multiple types of networks overlapping one another.Network infrastructure may range from multiple large enterprise systemsto a peer-to-peer system to a single computer system. Further, it willbe understood that the components within grid environment 240 are merelyrepresentations of the types of components within a grid environment. Agrid environment may simply be encompassed in a single computer systemor may encompass multiple enterprises of systems.

The central goal of a grid environment, such as grid environment 240 isorganization and delivery of resources from multiple discrete systemsviewed as virtual resource 160. Client system 200, server clusters 222,servers 224, workstations and desktops 226, data storage systems 228,networks 230 and the systems creating grid management system 150 may beheterogeneous and regionally distributed with independent managementsystems, but enabled to exchange information, resources, and servicesthrough a grid infrastructure enabled by grid management system 150.Further, server clusters 222, servers 224, workstations and desktops226, data storage systems 228, and networks 230 may be geographicallydistributed across countries and continents or locally accessible to oneanother.

In the example, client system 200 interfaces with grid management system150. Client system 200 may represent any computing system sendingrequests to grid management system 150. In particular, client system 200may send job requests and jobs to grid management system 150. Further,while in the present embodiment client system 200 is depicted asaccessing grid environment 240 with a request, in alternate embodimentsclient system 200 may also operate within grid environment 240.

While the systems within virtual resource 160 are depicted in parallel,in reality, the systems may be part of a hierarchy of systems where somesystems within virtual resource 160 may be local to client system 200,while other systems require access to external networks. Additionally,it is important to note, that systems depicted within virtual resources160 may be physically encompassed within client system 200.

One function of grid management system 150 is to manage job requests andjobs from client system 200 and control distribution of each job to aselection of computing systems of virtual resource 160 for use ofparticular resources at the available computing systems within virtualresource 160. From the perspective of client system 200, however,virtual resource 160 handles the request and returns the result withoutdifferentiating between which computing system in virtual resource 160actually performed the request.

To implement grid environment 240, grid management system 150facilitates grid services. Grid services may be designed according tomultiple architectures, including, but not limited to, the Open GridServices Architecture (OGSA). In particular, grid management system 150refers to the management environment which creates a grid by linkingcomputing systems into a heterogeneous network environment characterizedby sharing of resources through grid services.

Grid environment 240, as managed by grid management system 150, mayprovide a single type of service or multiple types of services. Forexample, computational grids, scavenging grids, and data grids areexample categorizations of the types of services provided in a gridenvironment. Computational grids may manage computing resources ofhigh-performance servers. Scavenging grids may scavenge for CPUresources and data storage resources across desktop computer systems.Data grids may manage data storage resources accessible, for example, tomultiple organizations or enterprises. It will be understood that a gridenvironment is not limited to a single type of grid categorization.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a block diagram illustrates one example of anarchitecture that may be implemented in a grid environment. As depicted,an architecture 300 includes multiple layers of functionality. As willbe further described, the present invention is a process which may beimplemented in one or more layers of an architecture, such asarchitecture 300, which is implemented in a grid environment, such asthe grid environment described in FIG. 2. It is important to note thatarchitecture 300 is just one example of an architecture that may beimplemented in a grid environment and in which the present invention maybe implemented. Further, it is important to note that multiplearchitectures may be implemented within a grid environment.

Within architecture 300, first, a physical and logical resources layer330 organizes the resources of the systems in the grid. Physicalresources include, but are not limited to, servers, storage media, andnetworks. The logical resources virtualize and aggregate the physicallayer into usable resources such as operating systems, processing power,memory, I/O processing, file systems, database managers, directories,memory managers, and other resources.

Next, a web services layer 320 provides an interface between gridservices 310 and physical and logical resources 330. Web services layer320 implements service interfaces including, but not limited to, WebServices Description Language (WSDL), Simple Object Access Protocol(SOAP), and eXtensible mark-up language (XML), executing atop anInternet Protocol (IP) or other network transport layer. Further, theOpen Grid Services Infrastructure (OSGI) standard 322 builds on top ofcurrent web services 320 by extending web services 320 to providecapabilities for dynamic and manageable Web services required to modelthe resources of the grid. In particular, by implementing OGSI standard322 with web services 320, grid services 310 designed using OGSA areinteroperable. In alternate embodiments, other infrastructures oradditional infrastructures may be implemented a top web services layer320.

Grid services layer 310 includes multiple services. For example, gridservices layer 310 may include grid services designed using OGSA, suchthat a uniform standard is implemented in creating grid services.Alternatively, grid services may be designed under multiplearchitectures. Grid services can be grouped into four main functions. Itwill be understood, however, that other functions may be performed bygrid services.

First, a resource management service 302 manages the use of the physicaland logical resources. Resources may include, but are not limited to,processing resources, memory resources, and storage resources.Management of these resources includes receiving job requests,scheduling job requests, distributing jobs, and managing the retrievalof the results for jobs. Resource management service 302 preferablymonitors resource loads and distributes jobs to less busy parts of thegrid to balance resource loads and absorb unexpected peaks of activity.In particular, a user may specify preferred performance levels so thatresource management service 302 distributes jobs to maintain thepreferred performance levels within the grid.

Second, information services 304 manages the information transfer andcommunication between computing systems within the grid. Since multiplecommunication protocols may be implemented, information services 304preferably manages communications across multiple networks utilizingmultiple types of communication protocols.

Third, a data management service 306 manages data transfer and storagewithin the grid. In particular, data management service 306 may movedata to nodes within the grid where a job requiring the data willexecute. A particular type of transfer protocol, such as Grid FileTransfer Protocol (GridFTP), may be implemented.

Finally, a security service 308 applies a security protocol for securityat the connection layers of each of the systems operating within thegrid. Security service 308 may implement security protocols, such asOpen Secure Socket Layers (SSL), to provide secure transmissions.Further, security service 308 may provide a single sign-on mechanism, sothat once a user is authenticated, a proxy certificate is created andused when performing actions within the grid for the user.

Multiple services may work together to provide several key functions ofa grid computing system. In a first example, computational tasks aredistributed within a grid. Data management service 306 may divide up acomputation task into separate grid services requests of packets of datathat are then distributed by and managed by resource management service302. The results are collected and consolidated by data managementsystem 306. In a second example, the storage resources across multiplecomputing systems in the grid are viewed as a single virtual datastorage system managed by data management service 306 and monitored byresource management service 302.

An applications layer 340 includes applications that use one or more ofthe grid services available in grid services layer 310. Advantageously,applications interface with the physical and logical resources 330 viagrid services layer 310 and web services 320, such that multipleheterogeneous systems can interact and interoperate. As an example, anapplication may be available at a web site “www.ibm.com”. The web siteprovides an entry point for the user to send a job request to selectfrom services, such as a catalog search engine or a business to businessservice. It is important to note that while an application and a gridservice are positioned within different layers of the grid architecture300, a reference to an application in general also encompasses gridservices exposed through the application.

With reference now to FIG. 4, a block diagram of a system operatingwithin the grid environment from the perspective of the grid managementsystem is depicted in accordance with the method, system, and program ofthe present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a computer systemincludes many hardware components. As part of a grid environment,however, these hardware components are viewed as resources. For example,a system 400 includes an application resource 402, two CPU resources 404and 406, a memory resource 408, and a storage resource 410. Theresources in system 400 are typical of the types of resources whenviewed within the grid environment, however, in an alternate embodiment,other types of resources may be provided. Further, the resources insystem 400 may be physically located within a single computer system ordistributed across multiple computer systems connected by a network, forexample.

As part of the grid management system described in FIG. 2, a gridmanager and router (GM) 424 provides the interface between the resourcesof system 400 and client systems sending requests.

In particular, a resource monitor 422 within GM 424 monitors the workingstatus of each of the resources available in system 400. GM 424preferably sends status reports to other grid managers and routerswithin the grid environment to indicate the availability of theresources in system 400. Additionally, status reports may describe thecomputer hardware, operating system, and resources of system 400. Statusreports may be generated, for example, when system 400 joins or leavesthe grid environment, when a threshold is detected, at predeterminedtime intervals, and on specific predetermined events, including, but notlimited to a hardware fault or a portion of an application or servicefailing.

Referring now to FIG. 5, an illustrative representation depicts oneembodiment of the logical infrastructure of a grid environment in whichthe present invention may be implemented. While FIG. 2 depicts anexample of general components of a grid environment, in the presentfigure, an example of how the general components are viewed logicallywithin a grid environment is illustrated in a grid environment 540. Inparticular, the grid management system functions are logically dispersedinto multiple GMs, such as GM 504, GM 510, and GM 520. Further, thevirtual resource is logically dispersed into multiple resources (RSs),such as RS 506, RS 508, RS 512, RS 514, RS 522, and RS 524. It isimportant to note that a resource may not be a direct representation ofa physical resource, but rather a logical representation of one or morephysical resources and or groups of physical resources.

In the example, client system 200 sends a job request to GM 504. GM 504searches for resources available to handle the job specified in the jobrequest. In particular, GM 504 checks whether RS 506 and RS 508 canhandle the job specified in the job request and may send queries toother GMs, such as GM 510 or GM 520. GMs 510 and 520 return reports onthe availability of resources to handle the job request.

In particular, a job request preferably includes a request made througha particular application for a grid service. In general, an applicationis self-contained, but exposes the grid services layer. The resourcesnecessary to handle the job request are those necessary to handle therequest as specified by the application and services accessed.

For purposes of illustrations, RS 506 and RS 508 are considered localresources or resources within the same discrete set of resources towhich jobs from client system 200 are submitted. In the examplesfollowing, when RS 506 and 508 are not meeting performance requirementsfor a job from client system 200, then additional resources may beallocated including other resources within the same discrete set ofresources, capacity on demand resources, resources from internal gridsand finally resources from external grids.

More specifically, in the example, GM 510, RS 512, and RS 514 are partof one grid infrastructure “grid A” operated by a first business thatprovides a first specified number of grid services for a first specifiedprice. Then, GM 520, RS 522, and RS 524 are part of another gridinfrastructure “grid B” operated by a second business that provides asecond specified number of grid services for a second specified price.When GM 504 sends the job request to GM 510 and GM 520, the each GMpreferably reports whether the job request can be handled and a pricefor handling the request. In relation to client system 200, grids A andB may be internal grids operating within the same enterprise system asclient system 200 or external grids.

After receiving reports on the availability of resources, GM 504collects the options for handling the job and returns the options toclient system 200. Client system 200 may then decide to select apreferred option and send the job to have handled according to theselected option. GM 504 manages the return of the results of the job toclient system 200.

The resources utilized in the option selected by client system 200 forma virtual organization for handling the job. For example, if clientsystem 200 selects an option to handle the job based on the optionreturned from GM 510, then a virtual organization may be formed toprocess the job which would include GM 504, GM 510, RS 512, and RS 514.

According to an advantage of the present invention, a serviceavailability management agent (SAMA) 530 is preferably accessible withingrid environment 540. SAMA performs the functions of monitoring gridresources, policy coordination, application profile management,analytical processing, and problem dispatch for grid environment 540.SAMA 530 may be controlled by dynamic policies that manage its behaviorwhile performing error management. In particular, errors may occurwithin grid environment 530 when suboptimal conditions occur thatdegrade applications and services to a minimal operational level or tothe point of no service at all. Such suboptimal performance may occur asa result of a system failure, a network infrastructures dropping orbecoming overloaded, or other failures that occur within gridenvironment 540.

In particular, when suboptimal conditions are detected within gridenvironment 540, SAMA 530 preferably manages use of grid resources toallow applications and services to continue to function. In particular,SAMA 530 may regulate the type and amount of resources provided to anapplication or service in an attempt keep the application or servicerunning. For example, SAMA 530 may move an application or service to anew set of resource nodes. Additionally, for example, SAMA 530 mayreconfigure an application's operation behavior to use less resources.

In particular, SAMA 530 may be incorporated within a single system ordistributed across multiple systems. Further, within grid architecture300 of FIG. 3, SAMA 530 may be implemented in multiple levels. Forexample, SAMA 530 may be implemented in part as a web service and inpart as a resource management service.

It is important to note that while SAMA 530 may manage use of gridresources by both applications and services, for purposes of example,management of grid resources for applications will be described.Further, it will be understood that SAMA 530 may manage use of gridresources by other controllers and agents operating within gridenvironment 540.

With reference now to FIG. 6, there is a block diagram of one embodimentof a SAMA controller in accordance with the method, system, and programof the present invention. As depicted, SAMA 530 includes multiplecontrollers and a SAMA database 610.

First, a resource monitor 606 monitors the performance and availabilityof resources in a grid environment. More specifically, resource monitor606 may monitor resource usage, capacity, and throughput, for example.

An inference analysis controller 604 preferably receives messages fromsystems operating in the grid environment and parses the messages todetermine the specific request. In particular, a message may include ajob request. A job request may invoke a particular service or servicespublished for an application available from the grid. Each applicationpreferably has a profile stored in profiles 612. For purposes ofexample, grid application profiles database 612 includes Document TypeDefinitions (DTDs) of an XML expression of the profile of eachapplication. It is important to note that while the examples of theapplication of profiles to manage resource usage are focused on resourceusage by applications, a profile may be specified for all layers offunctionality within the grid architecture, including services.

An example schema of an application profile is illustrated in Table 1.In the example, a sample of the types of application attributeinformation that may be included in a application profile isillustrated. In particular, the name, version, description, developername, owner name, and code size for an application may be specified.Next, in the example, a sample of the minimal performance and maximumperformance requirements of an application are specified for eachplatform available for operating the application within the gridenvironment. Further, modules of the application and expectedperformance based on platforms are included. A module definition mayinclude, for example, the module name, module data, amount of resourcesrequired and priority number. A platform definition may include, forexample, a name of the platform, version and description of theplatform, maximum and minimum memory size, maximum and minimum CPUrequirements on a symmetrical multi-processor (SMP) system, maximum andminimum CPU clock speeds, and the operating name and version. Inaddition, as a security requirement, for any platform on which theapplication will operate, the application profile may specify aparticular type of required platform certificate where the certificateindicates that the platform has under gone some level of assurances by asecurity standard, such as Common Criteria (CC). It will be understoodthat while the present example of the application profile is an XMLexpression, other types of profile expressions may be implemented. Itwill be understood that the example schema may also applied to services,agents, and other controllers within a grid environment. Further, aswill be understood by those with skill in the art, other types ofinformation may be included in an application profile in animplementation of the present invention.

Profile management controller 602 compares the maximum and minimumoperating requirements of an application profile to the currentoperating conditions to determine if the grid is operating at optimalconditions. If the grid is not running at optimal conditions, thenprofile management controller 602 preferably determines whether theapplication can be scheduled to run at another resource node or nodes.In particular, profile management controller 602 compares the platformof the additional resource nodes with the platform requirements of theapplication as specified in the application profile. Further, ifadditional nodes are not available, then profile management controller602 determines whether modules of the application can be degraded orshutdown, while still maintaining minimum operating conditions accordingto the application profile. In particular, profile management controller602 may process the application profile to determine the modulesidentified for the application. In one example, each module is assigneda resource size requirement and priority to be pruned or shut down.Profile management controller 602 preferably shuts down modulesaccording to each module's priority and resource size requirements.

Alternatively, a message received at SAMA 530 may include a statusrequest for the availability of the grid environment to handle a jobrequest before a client system sends a job. In particular, a serviceinventory database 616 maintains the current status of applications andservices available from the grid. Service inventory database 616 ispreferably updated whenever modules are shutdown, such that responses tostatus requests are efficiently returned based on the status in serviceinventory database 616.

Before profile management controller 602 adjusts the use of gridresources, inference analysis controller 604 may compare the applicationrequest or monitored suboptimal condition with grid policies in a policydatabase 614. In particular, a grid policies may specify overalloperational requirements for the grid environment. Further, gridpolicies may specify the type and amount of resources that are availablefor a particular application when profile management controller 602 isadjusting the use of grid resources.

TABLE 1 <?xml version=“1.0” encoding=“UTF-8”?> <!--********************************************************** ApplicationProfile DTD - Version 1.0**********************************************************   +:One ormore permitted   *:Zero or more permitted   ?:Optional********************************************************** --> <!--Application Profile Definition --> <!ELEMENTApplication(ApplicationData, AppVital Security+)> <!-Applicationattribute information --> <!ELEMENT ApplicationData > <!ATTLISTApplicationData Name CDATA # REQUIRED Version CDATA # REQUIREDDescription CDATA #REQUIRED DeveloperName CDATA #REQUIRED OwnerNameCDATA #REQUIRED codeSize CDATA #REQUIRED > <!ELEMENT AppVital(PruneModule*, Platform+)> <!ATTLIST AppVital minimalPerformance CDATA#REQUIRED maximumPerformance CDATA #REQUIRED <!- Prune Module Definition--> <!ELEMENT PruneModlue EMPTY> <!ATTLIST PruneModule ModuleName CDATA#REQUIRED ModuleData CDATA #REQUIRED ResourceAmt CDATA #REQUIREDPriorityNumber CDATA #REQUIRED > <!- Platform supported Definition --><!ELEMENT Platform EMPTY> <!ATTLIST Platform Name CDATA #REQUIREDVersion CDATA #REQUIRED Description CDATA # REQUIRED MaxMemorySize CDATA#REQUIRED MinMemorySize CDATA #REQUIRED MaxCPU CDATA #REQUIRED MinCPUCDATA #REQUIRED MaxSpeed CDATA #REQUIRED Min CDATA #REQUIRED OSNameCDATA #REQUIRED OSVersion CDATA #REQUIRED evalName CDATA #IMPLIEDevalProvider CDATA #IMPLIED evalLevel CDATA #IMPLIED evalDateIssuedCDATA #IMPLIED > <!- Security Information Definition --> <!ELEMENTSecurity EMPTY> <!ATTLIST Security keyType (SYMMETRIC|ASYMMETRIC) CDATA# REQUIRED algorithmName CDATA # REQUIRED algorithmAttribute CDATA#IMPLIED keyLength CDATA #REQUIRED keyIdentifier CDATA #REQUIREDkeyUsage (Authentication|Encryption|Signature) CDATA #REQUREDeExportable (TRUE|FALSE) CDATA #REQUIRED certificateType(X509V1|X509V3|OTHER) CDATA #IMPLIED certificateName CDATA #IMPLIEDcertificateAttribute CDATA #IMPLIED cSProviderType (Software|Hardware)CDATA #REQUIRED ssmName CDATA #IMPLIED ssmVersion CDATA #IMPLIEDssmExtName CDATA #IMPLIED ssmExtVersion CDATA #IMPLIED hsmName CDATA#IMPLIED hsmVersion CDATA #IMPLIED hsmFirmName CDATA #IMPLIEDhsmFirmVersion CDATA #IMPLIED hsmExtName CDATA #IMPLIED hsmExtVersionCDATA #IMPLIED evalName CDATA #IMPLIED evalProvider CDATA #IMPLIEDevalLevel CDATA #IMPLIED evalDateIssued CDATA #IMPLIED >

With reference now to FIG. 7, there is depicted a block diagramillustrating one method of adjusting use of resources by rerouting anapplication in accordance with the method, system, and program of thepresent invention. As depicted, an application 700 is initially run on aresource at node A operating on platform 706. The operationalrequirements for application 700 to run on platform 706 are preferablydefined in a profile for application 700. If the performance ofapplication 700 running on platform 706 is suboptimal according to theprofile, then the SAMA may search for other resources available to meetthe operational requirements of application 700. In the example, a nodeB running on platform 708 is available to meet the operationalrequirements specified for platform 708 by the application profile forapplication 700. Once a new node is located for application 700, theSAMA may direct a job router to redirect the application from resourcenode A to node B and begin monitoring the performance of node B.Although the present example is described with reference to anapplication moving from one node on one platform to another node onanother platform, it will be understood that an application may movefrom one resource node to another within the same platform or may movefrom one cluster of resource nodes to another cluster of resource nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 8, there is depicted a block diagram illustratinganother method of adjusting use of resources by reconfiguring anapplication's operational behavior in accordance with the method,system, and program of the present invention. As illustrated,application 700 includes multiple independent processing modules A-N.Modules A-N may be handled by a single resource or multiple resources.Further, a single module may be handled across multiple resources,depending on the size of resources required for the module.

In particular, in the profile for application 700, a shutdown priorityis preferably specified for each module. In the example, modules A, Band N of application 700 are executing in the grid environment on one ormore nodes. The grid environment is only able to provide suboptimalperformance for application 700. Thus, the SAMA determines whethermodules of application 700 can be shutdown so that portions ofapplication 700 can continue to operate without the entire applicationshutting down. In the example, module B is assigned the highest shutdownpriority. The SAMA may determine that this highest shutdown prioritymodule consumes resources to the extent that the module should beshutdown. The SAMA may send an instruction to the node or nodes runningmodule B to shutdown the module. If the performance remains suboptimalafter shutting down module B, the SAMA may send instructions to shutdownadditional modules.

With reference now to FIGS. 9A-9B, there is illustrated a high levellogic flowchart of a process and program for adjusting the use of gridresources by an application within a grid environment operating atsuboptimal conditions. As illustrated, the process starts at block 900and thereafter proceeds to block 902. Block 902 depicts a determinationwhether a job request is received. If a job request is not received,then the process iterates at block 902. If a job request is received,then the process passes to block 904. Block 904 depicts retrieving theapplication profile of at least one application invoked through theapplication from which the job request originated. Next, block 905depicts scheduling resources according to the application profile andgrid policies. Thereafter, block 906 depicts submitting the job to theselected grid resources, and the process passes to block 907.

Block 907 illustrates monitoring grid performance of the resourcesrunning an application. Thereafter, block 908 depicts a determinationwhether suboptimal conditions are detected for the application whencompared with the application profile. If suboptimal conditions are notdetected, then the process returns to block 907. If suboptimalconditions are detected, then the process passes to block 910.

Block 910 depicts searching for other nodes to relocate the applicationto meet the application operational requirements from the applicationprofile for the particular platform(s) on which the application isexecuting. Next, block 912 depicts a determination whether relocationnodes are available. This determination may first require determining,based on grid policies, which resources are available for theapplication. Then, a determination may be made of which of the availableresources meet the operational requirements of the application profileas specified for platforms supporting the available resources. Ifrelocation nodes are available, then block 920 depicts relocating theapplication to the relocation nodes, and the process returns to block907 while the application is invoked. If relocation nodes are notavailable, then the process passes to block 914. Block 914 depictsanalyzing the application profile to determine a first priority moduleof the application. Next, block 916 depicts a determination whether SAMAshould shut down the module. In particular, SAMA may determine ifshutting down the module would free sufficient resources to increaseoverall performance of the application. Additionally, grid policies andadditional application profile information may control whether the SAMAdecides to shut down the module. If SAMA should not shut down themodule, then the process passes to block 932, to be further described.If SAMA should shut down the module, then the process passes to block918.

Block 918 depicts sending an XML message to the node running theapplication where the message includes authentication and authorizationto reconfigure the application. It will be understood that othertransaction protocols may be implemented. Next, block 922 depicts adetermination whether an acknowledgment that the module was shut down isreceived. If the acknowledgement is not received, the process iteratesat block 922 for a period of time. If the acknowledgement is received,then the process passes to block 924. Block 924 depicts reevaluating thegrid status based on the resource performance. Next, block 926 depicts adetermination whether additional steps are required to reconfigure theapplication. In particular, the application may need additionalreconfiguration if after shutting down one module the applicationcontinues to operate under suboptimal conditions. If additional stepsare required, then the process passes to block 932, to be furtherdescribed. If additional steps are not required, then the process passesto block 928. Block 928 depicts allowing the application to run withdegraded modules. Next, block 930 depicts updating the inventory ofavailable applications with the degraded level, and the process ends.

As previously references, the process may passes to block 932. Block 932depicts a determination whether the application can still function undera degraded state. If the application cannot still function, then theprocess passes to block 936. Block 936 depicts alerting the requesterwith an error message, and the process ends. Alternatively, if theapplication can still function, then the process passes to block 934.Block 934 depicts analyzing the application profile to determine a nextpriority module of the application, and the process passes to block 916.

Referring now to FIG. 10, there is depicted a high level logic flowchartof a process and program for handling status requests in a gridenvironment. As illustrated, the process starts at block 1000 andthereafter proceeds to block 1002. Block 1002 depicts receiving arequest to pre-determine the sufficiency of the resources for anapplication. Next, block 1004 depicts checking the service inventorydatabase for current sufficiency of resources. A monitor request may besent to the potentially effected resources to determine the currentavailability of resources. Finally, block 1006 depicts returning an XMLstatus request response of the sufficiency of resources, and the processends.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Inparticular, it is important to note that while the description of thepresent invention focuses on the invention operating in the context ofgrid applications, services, agents, and controllers, the presentinvention may also apply in the context of normal web services and indistributed architectures in general.

1. A method for maintaining application operations within a suboptimalgrid environment, comprising: enabling a grid environment comprising aplurality of computing systems each comprising at least one resourcecomprising at least one operating system, at least one processor, atleast one file system, at least one database manager and at least onememory manager and communicatively connected over a network through agrid management system to share each said at least one resource througha plurality of web services comprising simple object access protocol,web services description language, and extensible mark-up languageinterfaces implemented within at least one web service layer extended byan open grid services infrastructure atop at least one grid servicelayer implemented within an open grid services architecture; receiving aplurality of separate jobs from a plurality of client systems over saidnetwork at said grid management system; accessing, by said gridmanagement system, a profile stored as a document type definition of anextensible markup language expression for an application from among aplurality of applications triggered by a particular job from a gridapplication profiles database specifying a selection of at least one webservice from among said plurality of web services and at least one gridservice within said grid services layer required by said application;querying, by the grid management system, a plurality of separatebusiness grid management systems to determine which of said separatebusiness grid management systems manages at least one resource node fromamong a plurality of resource nodes of said grid environment comprisingsaid at least one resource, wherein said at least one resource nodefurther comprises said at least one grid service required for saidapplication in said profile and a price for each said at least oneresource node; managing distribution from said grid management system ofeach of said plurality of separate jobs to a separate selection of saidat least one resource with said particular job submitted to at least oneresource node from among a selection of said plurality of resource nodesreturning availability to handle said particular job at a selectedprice; submitting by said grid management system said application fromamong a plurality of applications to said at least one resource node,wherein each of said plurality of separate jobs requests at least one ofsaid plurality of applications; monitoring by said grid managementsystem a performance status of said at least one resource node runningsaid application according to said profile; comparing by said gridmanagement system said performance status with an operationalrequirement specified in said profile for said application for when saidapplication is operating at said at least one resource node; responsiveto said performance status not meeting said operational requirement,determining by said grid management system whether there is at least oneother resource node from among said plurality of resource nodes withinsaid grid environment that meets said operational requirement specifiedin said profile for said application for when said application isoperating at said at least one other resource node; responsive todetermining there is said at least one other resource node that meetssaid operational requirement specified in said profile, relocating bysaid grid management system said application to said at least one otherresource node within said grid environment; responsive to determiningthere is not said at least one other resource node that meets saidoperational requirements specified is said profile, determining by saidgrid management system from said profile at least one module to firstshutdown from among a plurality of modules of said application definedin said profile, wherein each of said plurality of modules is assigned aseparate resource size requirement and a separate priority to be shutdown in said profile; responsive to determining from said profile saidat least one module to first shutdown, sending an extensible markuplanguage message by said grid management system to said at least oneresource node authorizing said at least one resource node to shutdownsaid at least one module, such that said application continues tooperate with a portion of said plurality of modules when saidperformance status fails to meet said operational requirement in saidprofile; responsive to determining there is not said at least one otherresource node that meets said operational requirements specified in saidprofile, determining by said grid management system whether saidapplication can continue to operate without said at least one module;responsive to a determination that said application cannot continue tooperate without said first module, returning by said grid managementsystem an error message for said application to a particular clientsystem requesting said application from among said plurality of clientsystems; and responsive to a determination that said application cancontinue to operate without said first module, determining by said gridmanagement system whether a next module from among said plurality ofmodules should be identified to be shutdown if said performance statusdoes not meet said operational requirement after shutting down said atleast one module.
 2. The method according to claim 1 for maintainingapplication operations within a suboptimal grid environment, whereinsaid at least one resource node operates on at least one platform forwhich said operational requirement is specified.
 3. The method accordingto claim 1 for maintaining application operations wherein saidapplication is one from among an stand-alone application, a service, anagent, and a controller operating within said grid environment.